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Dr. Al-Aiban: The Kingdom is following the directives of the leadership towards raising national capacities in the field of protection and promotion of human rights 3 Riyadh

March 14, 2019

With regard to the recommendations which included lifting the reservations made by the Kingdom to a number of human rights conventions, Al-Aiban stressed that these reservations are not contrary to the objectives and purposes of these conventions in practice and are subjected to periodic study in light of development reforms and modern changes. Therefore, the number of recommendations regarding joining the international conventions and withdrawing reservations is 13 while three recommendations are partially approved, he said.

With regard to recommendations on combating terrorism crimes and their financing law, Al-Aiban affirmed that this law is issued on November, 2017 to replace the previous edition. This law has been amended to promote criminal justice emphasizing that the definitions contained therein are clear and specific to the extent that they do not negatively affect the rights and freedoms of individuals guaranteed by the Kingdom's regulations and their commitments of the international human rights law, he added. Therefore, 27 recommendations are approved within legal and institutional frameworks of the human rights and national plans and strategies while three recommendations received partial approval, Al-Aiban said.

With regard to the recommendations on fair trial and criminal justice, Al-Aiban stressed that there are no secret prisons and detention centers in the Kingdom where a secret detention is prohibited under the Kingdom's regulations. He added that the Public Prosecution, the Human Rights Commission, the National Society for Human Rights and other relevant bodies are monitoring prisons and detention centers. Accordingly, eight recommendations are approved and two recommendations are partially approved.

Concerning the recommendations made by a number of states on the case of the Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi, may Allah have mercy on him, Al-Aiban disclosed that the Kingdom, which considered this incident as heinous and regrettable act, dealt positively with the case in addition to the safety of the measures taken on this case. He added that the measures taken are based on constitutional principles and legal grounds devoting their safety and validity. The fact is that most of those recommendations were drafted in such a way as to take into account that the Saudi judiciary is the original competent in this case and its adjudication. The recommendations made on this case have been approved, with the exception of recommendations (168/122) and (173/122) which infringe the Kingdom's sovereignty and interfere in its internal affairs, represented by its judiciary, which are clearly contrary to the rules of international law and norms.